


Sentencing

by velocitygrass



Category: Stargate Atlantis
Genre: M/M, Missions Gone Wrong
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2008-09-09
Updated: 2008-09-09
Packaged: 2018-03-19 11:38:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,066
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3608700
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/velocitygrass/pseuds/velocitygrass
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>John is sentenced to death, and Rodney has one last chance to say goodbye...</p>
            </blockquote>





	Sentencing

**Author's Note:**

> Written for McSheplets challenge #27: I love you
> 
> Content note: Mention of (bloody) violence and the aftermath of it.

When they take John away, Rodney can't stand it any longer.

"Wait," he shouts.

The guards don't react at all. John's jaw only clenches even more if that's at all possible.

"Dammit, wait!" Rodney shouts again, looking at the head of the council, judge and jury, the woman who has sentenced John to death for defending Rodney. "You're pretending to be _civilized_ , aren't you? So, let me just— Let me just talk to him for a moment."

She looks at him, weighing his request against their stupid rules. She's all neat and proper, not a hair out of place, not a sign of emotion, not a sign that she's human at all. Then she nods and Rodney's flooded with relief, because if he has to lose John, if this is how it's going to end, there's one thing he still has to do, wasn't allowed to do before, not ever, not even earlier in the cell, when he'd tried. But he won't back down now.

He rushes to John before she changes her mind. At first he's not sure if John will look at him at all, but then he does, head held high, completely stoic as he'd been during the "trial". This isn't John. It's Lt. Colonel Sheppard and Rodney wants to scream at him, because this is the last time they will see each other, this is what John will take to his grave and Rodney too, as the last memory of him.

"I love you," he says, hoping that somewhere in there, John is listening.

John's eyes flicker, the vein in his neck is pulsing, and Rodney fears that his jaw might break from the tension. But he doesn't say anything.

"Dammit, John. Just..." Rodney doesn't know how to finish, but then he sees that he doesn't have to.

John starts to breathe more heavily, the effort of holding back becoming too much. He's frowning and his lip starts to tremble and then he just _breaks_.

The arms around Rodney aren't completely unexpected, but when John takes his face in his hands and kisses him, Rodney's eyes widen, because... Then he simply kisses back, holding John and kissing and kissing, because he cannot believe that he never knew and now it's too late and now he'll never know what they really were and it's not fair and God, he loves this man so much and they're going to take him away—

"Stop!"

Rodney doesn't want to listen, doesn't want to care, doesn't want to hear, although the echoes of her words reverberate through the hall.

But John is bodily pulled away, and after one last look at Rodney he becomes Lt. Colonel Sheppard again, and the loss is so great that Rodney thinks his knees will give away.

Teyla gathers him into her arms and back to his seat, and she keeps an arm around him as he turns his head to watch them take John to his death.

The head of the council is watching John. Rodney's fingers flex, and if he still had his sidearm, he probably would have used it. Not to get out. They'd have no chance. But to watch her bleed to death might finally prove her humanity to Rodney.

"Dr. McKay is your beloved?" she asks as if talking about the weather, and a shiver runs down Rodney's spine because that woman shouldn't be allowed to put the word love into her mouth.

John doesn't say anything at all, doesn't even look at her.

"You didn't mention it at the trial," she says.

John looks up and coldly says, "You didn't ask, your _highness_."

Rodney snorts inwardly. Trust John Sheppard to insult people of authority while using their own titles. Then Rodney remembers that this is what he'll lose, and the now familiar pain spreads in his chest.

"An attack on our priests is the highest crime committable in our society. Acting in defense of others is no excuse, however acting on behalf of your beloved is."

"What?" Rodney says, and he doesn't dare hope. Right now he just wants to strangle her into making some sense.

Beside him, Teyla asks calmly—he doesn't know how she does it—if this means that John is free to go.

"He will still have to be caned of course," the high council informs them.

 

Later Ronon will carry John to the gate, over his shoulder, because John's back is a bleeding mess. Rodney can't remember much of it, only that Teyla never left his side and that he might have been just a bit hysterical.

 

When Jennifer allows them to see John, Ronon and Teyla let him go in alone.

John is lying on his stomach, his torso bandaged.

Rodney pulls up a chair to sit down next to him. He doesn't know what to say because the only thought on his mind is, "I thought I'd lost you." Eventually he decides to just go with that.

"You saved me," John says, turning to look at Rodney.

"No, _you_ , you..." Rodney trails off because he still can't think beyond the fact that John's not dead.

John reaches out, and Rodney automatically puts his hand on the bed next to him, so that John can cover it with his, clasping their fingers together.

"I should have let you tell me sooner," John says.

Rodney frowns and starts, "Are you insane? If she hadn't seen that, they would have _killed_ you!"

"Rodney," John says quietly.

Rodney shuts his mouth and simply watches John, pale and tired, but alive, thank God, _alive_.

John closes his eyes, and Rodney wonders if he's fallen asleep. After the day they had he can't blame John. But then John speaks, eyes still closed.

"I love you," he says, and then his eyes open cautiously as if he's afraid, as if he has any reason in the world to believe that Rodney wouldn't want to hear those words.

Rodney doesn't understand this at all, because John has known better how Rodney felt than even Rodney himself.

Rodney leans forward then and kisses John lightly on the lips. It's a quick kiss, but it leaves a smile on John's face.

"I love you too," Rodney says, and the smile widens.

This time when John closes his eyes, Rodney knows it's because he's fallen asleep. Their hands are still intertwined.

Rodney doesn't mind. He stays and watches John breathe.


End file.
